Orthodox Christians Celebrate Easter on May 5th

If you are not familiar with Orthodox Christians, these believers have some unique traditions and often use the Jillian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar.

Some Orthodox believers participate in a Holy Fire ritual the night before at Easter. As Wikipedia explains:

"Orthodox tradition holds that the Holy Fire is a miracle that happens annually on the day preceding Orthodox Easter, in which a blue light emanates either from the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or from the slab believed to be the "Stone of Anointing" upon which Jesus' body was prepared for burial, which eventually forms a column containing a form of fire, from which candles are lit, which are then used to light the candles of the clergy and pilgrims in attendance."

Fire from Bethlehem is then carried to other countries often by planes and used to light bonfires.

Photo: Flickr/George M. Groutas - Creative Commons

2010 Easter celebration in Dhali, Cyprus

Republican Congressman Justin Amash from Michigan is an Orthodox Christian and posted the following on his Facebook page: